Starry Remains Ancient Palace, Destiny Flower Appears

The Starfall Secret Realm was silent, yet magnificent.

The pure yet icy Power of the Stars was ubiquitous, suppressing Divine Sense and eroding the Physical Body. If not for the faint starlight protection of the star guiding talisman, ordinary Golden Core Cultivators would likely find it impossible to move here.

Nightmare floated above a massive, shattered star remnant, his gaze sweeping across this desolate and dangerous world. Mo Yuan followed closely, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

They were randomly teleported upon entering the Secret Realm and were scattered from everyone else. Looking out, they could only occasionally see the flashing escape light of other Cultivators in the far distance, quickly disappearing behind rugged strange rocks or massive remnants.

"Such dense Power of the Stars, but unfortunately its attributes lean towards yin, cold, and deathly silence, making it difficult to absorb directly." Mo Yuan frowned slightly as he sensed the environment.

"It doesn't matter. Although this place is dangerous, it also holds great Opportunity." Nightmare said calmly. Although his vast Divine Sense was suppressed, it could still cover a radius of dozens of miles, far surpassing others. In his perception, deep within this shattered world, there were several areas with abnormal energy fluctuations, likely containing treasures or ruins.

More importantly, relying on the immense Luck within his body, he could faintly sense that something in a certain direction of this world was resonating strongly with him!

That was... the sensation of the heavenly mandate flower!

"Follow me." Nightmare identified a direction and sped away, transforming into a faint stream of light. Mo Yuan quickly followed.

The two flew at low altitude, avoiding the chaotic energy vortexes and the occasional Star Storms. Along the way, they saw many unique Star Minerals and Spiritual Plants rarely seen outside, but Nightmare did not stop; his target was clear—the heavenly mandate flower!

After flying for about half a day and passing through a dangerous area filled with spatial fissures, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

Ahead was a relatively intact massive landmass, and in the center of the continent, an **incredibly magnificent, yet severely dilapidated ancient palace** stood towering!

The palace was entirely cast from a certain black, star-absorbing metal, its style ancient and savage, completely different from the architecture of the current Cultivation World. Although most of it had collapsed, leaving only broken walls and ruins, one could still imagine its spectacular appearance when intact. Above the palace, several massive fragments of star core floated, radiating soft yet vast Power of the Stars like small suns, nourishing the area below.

And in that area, a strange "sea of flowers" was conspicuously growing!

These flowers were not rooted in soil but grew directly in the Void Realm. Their petals were transparent like crystal, and their stamens glittered with starlight, emitting a rich aura of life and profound destiny fluctuations!

"heavenly mandate flower!" A sharp light burst forth in Nightmare's eyes! It was indeed here! And not just one, but a whole sea of flowers!

However, the area around the sea of flowers was not peaceful at this moment.

Several groups had already arrived ahead of them and were locked in confrontation!

One side was the Sky Patrol Alliance team, consisting of about a dozen people. Leading them was a cold-faced young man in a Star Robe, whose aura had clearly reached the Peak of Perfected Golden Core. Beside him stood several Disciples of comparable cultivation, and two Early Nascent Soul Stage Elders were holding the line! They were clearly prepared, having formed a mysterious formation to confront the other side.

The other side was a complex mix, including Disciples from other major Sects in Zhongzhou, several powerful Loose Cultivators, and even two Yao Cultivators whose bodies were overflowing with Demonic Qi! They seemed to have temporarily allied to oppose the Sky Patrol Alliance, and although numerous, they fought independently, appearing somewhat disorganized.

Both sides were on tenterhooks, clearly vying for the heavenly mandate flower!

"Hmph! This treasure land was discovered first by my Sky Patrol Alliance! Miscellaneous personnel, scram immediately! Otherwise, we will kill without mercy!" The cold-faced young man from the Sky Patrol Alliance shouted sternly, his tone arrogant and domineering.

"Nonsense! The Starfall Secret Realm is ownerless territory; treasures belong to the virtuous! The Sky Patrol Alliance wants to hog it all? Aren't you afraid of choking to death!" An old Loose Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage angrily rebuked.

"Exactly! Do you really think your Sky Patrol Alliance can cover the sky with one hand?"

The two sides continued to exchange insults, the atmosphere reaching maximum tension, and a great battle was imminent.

Nightmare and Mo Yuan concealed themselves behind a distant star remnant, watching with cold eyes.

"Benefactor, should we..." Mo Yuan looked at Nightmare.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Let them fight first." Nightmare curled his lips into a cold arc.

He was happy to watch these people fight among themselves. This was the perfect Opportunity to observe the strength and methods of the current generation's Sky Patrol Alliance "Saint."

Sure enough, seeing that words could not scare off the crowd, the cold-faced young man of the Sky Patrol Alliance flashed a cold light in his eyes, stopped wasting words, and violently waved his hand: "Form the Star Dipper Killing Array! Kill!"

The Sky Patrol Alliance Disciples instantly changed formation. Starlight connected into a single mass, transforming into a massive Star Light Sword that fiercely slashed toward the opposing crowd with unparalleled killing intent!

"As if we're afraid of you! Attack!" The Loose Cultivators and Disciples of the veteran Sects also roared and simultaneously brought forth their Magic Treasures and Spells!

Boom!

The great battle erupted instantly!

Spell lights were dazzlingly bright, and the sound of Magic Treasures colliding was deafening! Power of the Stars, various spiritual lights, Demonic Qi, and Demonic Techniques violently clashed, turning this ancient palace ruin, which had been silent for countless millennia, upside down!

The Sky Patrol Alliance's Star Dipper Killing Array was indeed formidable. Combining offense and defense with infinite power, the cold-faced young man, acting as the eye of the formation, possessed even greater strength. His Star Divine Ability was superb, allowing him to contend head-on against a Nascent Soul Cultivator with only a Golden Core cultivation, without being disadvantaged!

However, the allied forces of Loose Cultivators and various Sects had the advantage in numbers, and among them were several old Nascent Soul monsters and powerful Genius Disciples. For a time, the fighting was inseparable, and people were constantly being injured or even killed.

Nightmare watched quietly, like an indifferent spectator. In his perception, the cold-faced young man's Star Cultivation Technique seemed somewhat special; the Power of the Stars he drew upon was exceptionally pure, faintly similar to the core fluctuations of the Secret Realm he had sensed earlier.

"This boy... perhaps knows something." Nightmare thought to himself.

Just as both sides were locked in fierce combat and casualties were steadily rising.

A sudden change occurred!

The massive star cores floating above the ancient palace seemed to be triggered by the intense energy collision below, suddenly shaking violently!

Immediately afterward, countless fissures cracked open on the cores' surfaces, and streams of **Destructive Star Fiend**, condensed to the extreme, poured down like heavy rain, indiscriminately bombarding the battlefield below!

"Oh no! The Restriction of the ancient palace has been triggered!"

"Quickly dodge!"

The warring parties instantly fell into chaos, no longer caring about fighting, desperately dodging or resisting the terrifying Star Fiend impact!

The power of this Star Fiend was terrifying, comparable to the full-strength blow of a Middle Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, and it was ceaseless! In an instant, several Golden Core Cultivators who failed to dodge were pierced by the Star Fiend, their bodies and souls obliterated! Even an Early Nascent Soul Stage Loose Cultivator was hit by several streams of Star Fiend, heavily injured and spitting blood!

Amidst the chaos, the cold-faced young man of the Sky Patrol Alliance flashed a sharp light in his eyes. Instead of retreating, he took advantage of everyone's panicked evasion. A strange Star Talisman suddenly lit up on his body, granting him a degree of immunity to the Star Fiend damage. He transformed into a streak of light and violently rushed toward the sea of heavenly mandate flowers!

He intended to seize the flower during the confusion!

"How dare you, boy!" A Yao Race Nascent Soul Cultivator roared in fury. Ignoring the Star Fiend bombardment, he revealed part of his true form: a massive Black Eagle, whose sharp talons, carrying the power to tear space, grabbed toward the young man!

The cold-faced young man snorted coldly and countered by striking out a dazzling Starlight Shield to block the sharp talons, without slowing down!

His hand was about to touch the nearest heavenly mandate flower!

Right at this moment!

A Finger Wind, darker, deeper, and carrying an aura of deathly silence that devoured all things—as if shot from the Nine Hells—soundlessly appeared at his back!

Myriad Poison Soul Devouring Finger!

The cold-faced young man's expression drastically changed. The intense sense of mortal danger made his hair stand on end! He spun around sharply, positioning the Starlight Shield in front of him, while the Star Robe on his body erupted with intense light!

Hiss!

The black Finger Wind struck the shield!

That extraordinary Star Shield was instantly corroded into a large hole, as if it were made of paper! The Finger Wind's momentum did not decrease, penetrating the Star Robe's brilliance and fiercely striking his chest!

"Pfft—!"

The cold-faced young man was struck heavily, spitting blood as he flew backward. A terrifying blood hole appeared on his chest, and Devilish Qi madly corroded his Meridians and Golden Core! His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief!

Who was it?! Who could unleash such a terrifying blow?!

He struggled to look up.

Against the backdrop of the relentless Star Fiend bombardment, a black-robed figure had appeared before the sea of heavenly mandate flowers at some unknown point, standing with hands clasped behind his back, looking at him with cold eyes, as if viewing an ant.

It was Nightmare!

He had been waiting for this chaotic moment!

"The heavenly mandate flower belongs to me." Nightmare spoke lightly. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly overpowered the roar of the Star Fiend and the exclamations of the crowd.

He ignored the heavily injured Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son, turned, and reached out, intending to pick the nearest heavenly mandate flower.

"Bastard! Put down the treasure!" Seeing this, the Yao Race Nascent Soul Cultivator and several other experts were both shocked and furious. Ignoring the Star Fiend and their injuries, they roared and charged over!

"Seeking death." Nightmare's eyes turned cold, and he simply waved his sleeve.

Boom!

A terrifying, vast Demonic Essence, far exceeding the Golden Core level, erupted like a tsunami, instantly shaking the charging figures until they spat blood and flew backward!

Late Nascent Soul Stage! Absolutely Late Nascent Soul Stage!

Everyone was stunned! Their faces showed fear! Doesn't this Secret Realm repel Cultivators above the Nascent Soul Stage? How did this person get in?! And so young?!

Nightmare couldn't be bothered with their shock, his finger had already touched the stem of the heavenly mandate flower.

However, just as his fingertip was about to exert force to pick it!

Another sudden change occurred!

The space around the heavenly mandate flower suddenly rippled strangely! Immediately after, a glistening emerald **leaf**, imbued with endless vitality and binding power, appeared out of thin air. Like the sharpest flying knife, it followed a profound trajectory and slashed toward Nightmare's wrist!

Simultaneously, a clear, cold, and majestic female voice, as if descending from the Nine Heavens, rang out:

"This flower has an affinity with my Yao Race. Your Excellency, please stop."